Motorized firearm barrel cleaning system

ABSTRACT

A motorized firearm barrel cleaning system includes a main body containing an electric motor unit configured to generate sonic vibrations. An elongated rod is in communication with the motor unit for transferring the vibrations to a removable brush head having a shape and dimension for making contact with a firearm barrel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/594,267 filed on 2 Feb. 2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to firearm barrel cleaners, and more particularly to a motorized firearm barrel cleaning system.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

The accuracy of firearms such as a handguns and rifles, for example, are affected by the condition of the bore within the barrel. Each time a round is fired from a gun, combustion by-products such as lead and copper are deposited onto the inner wall of the gun barrel. As more rounds are fired, these and other fouling substances can build up over time to render the gun ineffective or unsafe. As such, it is important to properly remove any combustion by-products from the bore without scouring or defacing the inner wall.

There are many known devices for cleaning gun barrels. The most common devices include an elongated rod having a handle at one end, and a brush at the other end that is sized to fit a particular size/caliber of the gun barrel. The device is operated by pushing and pulling the handle to move the brush through the barrel several times in rapid succession.

Depending on the condition of the firearm, it may be necessary to brush the barrel tens or even hundreds of times to remove all of the fouling. Unfortunately, the typical user can only push and pull the brush through the barrel 4 times per minute before fatigue from the imparted manual labor sets in. As such, many users choose to supplement the brush cleaning with a conventional barrel solvent which can act to chemically assist in breaking down the fouling.

Although the use of solvents can assist in speeding up the time it takes to clean the weapon, tests have indicated that the chemical reaction between the solvents, the metal and the variety of fouling agents can cause severe damage to the barrel over time.

Accordingly, there remains a need for a system capable of quickly, easily and repeatedly cleaning gun barrels that does not suffer from the drawbacks of the devices described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a motorized firearm barrel cleaning system.

One embodiment of the present invention can include a main body containing an electric motor unit for generating sonic vibrations. An elongated rod is in communication with the motor unit for transferring the vibrations to a removable brush head having a shape and dimension for making contact with a firearm barrel.

Another embodiment of the present invention can include a main body having a removable cap for allowing the rod to be removably inserted into the main body.

This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is an exploded parts view of the motorized firearm barrel cleaning system that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the motorized firearm barrel cleaning system, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary motor unit, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the motorized firearm barrel cleaning system, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.

Identical reference numerals are used for like elements of the invention or elements of like function. For the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals are shown in the individual figures which are necessary for the description of the respective figure. For purposes of this description, the terms “upper,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of a motorized firearm barrel cleaning system 10 that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. As shown, the system can include a main body 11, a motor unit 30, an elongated rod 15 and a removable brush 20.

The main body can act as a handle for allowing a user to operate the system. To this end, the main body can preferably include a lower portion 11 a and a cap portion 11 b which are rotatably connected via a plurality of male threads 11 a 1 located atop the lower portion and a plurality of female threads 11 b 1 located along the bottom of the removable cap 11 b. Threads 11 a 1 and 11 b 1 being configured to engage in a conventional manner to secure the two components together in a removable manner.

As shown, the assembled main body 11 can preferably form an elongated generally tubular member which can be easily grasped by the hand of a user. When so assembled, the cap portion 11 b can define a hollow interior section 11 c for receiving the end of the elongated rod 15 b, and positioning the same adjacent to the motor unit 30 Likewise, the lower body can include a cavity/opening 11 d for receiving and positioning the motor unit 30 described below. In addition to the above, the cap portion 11 b can also include an opening 11 b 2 that is centrally located along the uppermost portion of the cap. As shown, the opening can be used as a pathway for the rod 15.

A flexible seal 11 b 3 can be secured within and around the opening 11 b 2 so as to surround the portion of the rod 15 that extends through the opening (See FIG. 2). The seal 11 b 3 can act to prevent debris such as the fouling substances described above, from entering the main body, can flex with the movement of the rod 15, and to act as a vibration dampener by preventing the rod 15 from making direct contact with the frame of the main body (i.e., the opening 11 b 2) in order to prevent excess vibrations from reaching the outside portion of the main body that will be grasped by a user. In one preferred embodiment, the flexible seal 11 b 3 can be constructed from rubber and/or foam; of course any number of other materials having similar characteristics can also be utilized herein.

In one preferred embodiment, both the lower body 11 a and upper body 11 b can be constructed from injection molded plastic, and each component can further include one or more connectors (not shown) for securely positioning the motor unit 30 and/or the rod 15. Of course, those of skill in the art will recognize that the main body can take any number of different shapes, and can be constructed from any number of known materials and construction methodologies.

Secured within the cavity 11 d of the lower portion of the main body 11 a is a motor unit 30 capable of generating high and/or sonic frequency vibrations. The motor unit 30 and/or other optional elements can be controlled via one or more conventional on/off switches 12.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a motor unit suitable for generating the sonic frequency vibrations. As shown, the motor unit 30 can include a DC power supply 31 to energize an oscillator 32 and an amplifier 33. The oscillator 32 can act to produce a sinusoidal signal at a variety of operating frequencies which can be imparted onto the rod 15 which acts, essentially as a transducer. The amplifier 33 amplifies the oscillator signal and introduces the signal to the primary winding 34 a of an isolation transformer 34. The amplifier 33 also serves to buffer the oscillator 32 from the transformer. The isolation transformer 34 has a turn ratio sufficient to step up the amplified sinusoidal signal to drive the rod from the secondary winding 34 b of the transformer 34. A plurality of grounds 35 can also be included as necessary for proper motor operation.

As described herein, virtually any type of device capable of producing a vibration can be utilized as the motor unit. Although described above as including specific components, this is for illustrative purposes only, as any number of different types of systems capable of producing sonic and/or high frequency vibrations can act as a suitable motor unit. Several non-limiting examples are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,787,847; 3,563,233, and 3,466,689, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, although being described as including a DC power source, other embodiments incorporating AC power through the use of a transformer are also contemplated.

The rod 15 can act to transmit the vibrations generated by the motor unit 30 to the removable brush 20. In one embodiment, the rod can include an elongated shaft having a first end 15 a terminating into a threaded female receiver 16 (i.e., brush connector), and a second end 15 b having a generally rectangular or block-like shape for receiving the vibrations from the motor unit 30. In one preferred embodiment, the rod 15 can be constructed from a sturdy resilient material such as aluminum, brass or steel, for example. However, other construction materials such as plastic and PVC, for example, are also contemplated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second end of the rod 15 b can be positioned within the cavity 11 c created by the joining of the lower main body 11 a and the cap portion of the main body 11 b. The bottom end 15 b can be positioned adjacent to, or against the motor unit 30 so as to directly receive the vibrations produced from the motor. As shown, when the rod is so positioned, the shaft portion of the rod 15 can extend through the opening 11 b 2 in a direction away from the base 11.

An optional rod sheath 17 can be included with the system 10. In one preferred embodiment, the rod sheath 17 can include a soft elongated hollow sleeve having a length and width sufficient to encircle the rod shaft. When secured around the rod shaft, the sheath 17 can act to prevent any damage occurring to the barrel of the weapon being cleaned that may be caused from accidental contact with the rod. As such, the sheath 17 can preferably be constructed from a soft, resilient material such as rubber, plastic, or the like. Of course any number of other materials having similar characteristics can also be utilized herein.

The removable brush 20 can act to physically scrape any fouling substances from the inside of a gun barrel utilizing the vibrations supplied by the motor unit. As shown, the brush head 20 can essentially include a short metallic wire 21 having a plurality of bristles 22 secured along the distal end. The bristles 22 can be constructed from metal and/or nylon in accordance with known construction techniques, and can further include any number of lengths suitable for engaging a specific size/caliber barrel. A plurality of threaded elements 23 (i.e., rod connector) can be located along the proximal end of the wire 21. Threaded elements 23 being provided in order to allow the brush 20 to be rotatably connected to the rod 15 via the threaded female receiver 16 located thereon.

Although described above as including male and female connectors for the brush and rod, respectively, this arrangement can be reversed without undue experimentation. Moreover, any number of conventional devices capable of removably joining the rod and brush together can also be utilized herein. Several non-limiting examples include magnetic elements and conventional compression fittings, for example. Such a feature can allow the system 10 to utilize a plurality of conventional barrel brushes already available in the marketplace.

In operation, the motor unit 30 can be activated via the on/off switch 12, in order to provide high frequency vibrations to the brush 20. Upon activating the system, the brush can be inserted into the barrel of a firearm to perform a cleaning operation. When so positioned, the high frequency vibrations emanating from the brush 20 can act to impart an equivalent of 100 to 10,000 conventional brush strokes with each pass through the barrel. Such a feature can significantly reduce the time necessary to perform a thorough cleaning, while preventing the need to use a solvent. Moreover, the brush 20 and rod 15 can rotate, see arrow A, with the rifling of the gun barrel in order to ensure that the bristles of the brush do not damage the barrel. To this end, the end of the rod 15 b can rotate within the cavity 11 c while maintaining contact with the motor unit 30.

As described herein, one or more elements of the motorized firearm barrel cleaning system 10, can be secured together utilizing any number of known attachment means such as, for example, screws, glue, compression fittings and welds, among others. Moreover, although the above embodiments have been described as including separate individual elements, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not so limiting. To this end, one of skill in the art will recognize that one or more individual elements such as the lower main body 11 a, the upper main body 11 b, the rod 15 and/or the brush 20, including some or all subcomponents, for example, may be formed together as one continuous element, or a plurality of individual elements either through manufacturing processes, such as welding, casting, or molding, or through the use of singular pieces of material milled or machined with the aforementioned components forming identifiable sections thereof.

Accordingly, FIG. 4 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the motorized firearm barrel cleaning system 10, wherein the main body 11 is formed as a single non-separable component in which the bottom portion 15 b of the rod is adhered to the motor unit. Such a feature can provide a lower cost alternative to the above described components.

As further illustrated by FIG. 4, one or more optional lights 40 and heating element 41 can also be disposed within the device 10.

In one preferred embodiment, the light(s) 40 can be positioned along the uppermost portion of the main body 11 so as to direct the illumination down the rod and towards the brush head 20. As described herein, the light(s) 40 can preferably be in the form of an incandescent bulb that is connected to the motor unit 30 for power, and the switch 12 to control operation. By using an incandescent bulb, the light 40 can also radiate heat onto the rod 15 to assist with the cleaning process. However, any number of other conventional illuminating devices such as an LED, for example, are also contemplated.

The heating element 41 can include any number of small devices capable of creating heat and transferring the same onto the rod 15. Several non-limiting examples include incandescent bulbs, coils and the like. The heating element will be positioned against the rod 15 and connected to the motor unit 30 for power and the switch 12 to control an on or off operation. As there are hundreds of known devices capable of generating heat, no further description will be provided herein.

As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A motorized firearm barrel cleaning system, comprising: a motor unit configured to generate at least one of a high frequency vibrations and a sonic vibrations; a switch configured to selectively engage the motor unit; a brush head that includes a shaft having a plurality of bristles at a distal end, and a rod connector at a proximal end; an elongated rod having a first end that is in communication with the motor unit, and a second end having a brush connector, said brush connector being configured to removably engage the rod connector of the brush head, wherein the elongated rod is configured to transfer the at least one high frequency vibrations and a sonic vibrations to the brush head; and a main body that includes a lower portion having a cavity for housing the motor unit, and a removable cap portion defining a cavity for receiving the first end of the elongated rod and positioning the same at a location adjacent to the motor unit, said cap portion further including an opening configured to receive a portion of the elongated rod.
 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a flexible seal disposed within the opening of the cap portion, said seal including a shape configured to surround the portion of the elongated rod located within the opening.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first end of the elongated rod is configured to rotate within the cavity of the removable cap.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first end of the elongated rod includes a generally rectangular shape, said shape being configured to receive the at least one high frequency vibrations and sonic vibrations from the motor unit.
 5. The system of claim 1, further comprising: an elongated rod sheath configured to encompass a portion of the rod, said sheath being constructed from a soft material.
 6. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of male threads disposed along an upper periphery of the lower main body portion; and a plurality of female threads disposed along a bottom periphery of the cap portion, said male and female threads being configured to removably secure the cap and bottom portions together via a twisting motion.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the main body is constructed from injection molded plastic.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the motor unit comprises: a direct current power supply; an oscillator; an amplifier; and an isolation transformer, each of said elements being configured to work in unison to generate the at least one high frequency vibrations and sonic vibrations.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the elongated rod is constructed from at least one of aluminum, steel and brass.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the rod connector includes a plurality of male threads, and the brush connector includes a plurality of female threads, each of said male and female threads being configured to work in unison to removably secure the brush head to the rod via a twisting motion.
 11. A motorized firearm barrel cleaning system, comprising: a motor unit configured to generate at least one of a high frequency vibrations and a sonic vibrations; a switch configured to selectively engage the motor unit; a brush head that includes a shaft having a plurality of bristles at a distal end, and a rod connector at a proximal end; an elongated rod having a first end that is permanently secured to the motor unit, and a second end having a brush connector, said brush connector being configured to removably engage the rod connector of the brush head, wherein the elongated rod is configured to transfer the at least one high frequency vibrations and a sonic vibrations to the brush head; and an elongated, generally tubular main body having a cavity for housing the motor unit, and an opening disposed along an upper portion thereof, wherein a portion of the rod protrudes outward, through the opening of the main body.
 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising: one or more lights secured along an outside portion of the main body, said lights being configured to illuminate the brush head.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein said lights include an incandescent bulb that is configured to radiate heat towards the elongated rod.
 14. The system of claim 11, further comprising: a heating element disposed within the main body at a location adjacent to the elongated rod, said heating element being configured to transfer heat to the rod.
 15. A motorized firearm barrel cleaning system, comprising: means for generating at least one of a high frequency vibrations and a sonic vibrations; a brush head that includes a shaft having a plurality of bristles at a distal end, and a rod connector at a proximal end; means for transferring the at least one high frequency vibrations and a sonic vibrations to the brush head; and a main body configured to house the means for generating, and at least a portion of the means for transferring.
 16. The motorized firearm barrel cleaning system of claim 15, further comprising: means for providing illumination to the brush head.
 17. The motorized firearm barrel cleaning system of claim 15, further comprising: means for providing heat to the means for transferring. 